These Piggies are for Aperture Science
by InvaderMEEN
Summary: Wheatley was left stranded in space after the events of the Wheatley Laboratories fiasco. However, in orbit around the moon, he finds that it is not just him and the Space Core out here...
1. Prologue

These Piggies are for Aperture Science

Prologue

"I'm in Space"

"So much space, needa see it all! Unh! Uhn!"

Wheatley looked at the Personality Core that served as his only companion. He noted that it seemed to be obsessed with space, thus it was frantically looking around in an attempt to "see it all".

"I wish I could take it all back." Wheatley sad to no one it particular. "I really do. I honestly do… and not just because I'm stranded in space."

"I'm in space!" The Space Core said.

"I know you are, mate! Yup, we're both in space…" Wheatley replied.

"SPAAAAAACE!" The Space Core cried out as it spun around in delight.

"Anyway… You know, if I were to see her again, you know what I'd say?" Wheatley referred to Chell, the female human he had betrayed.

"I'm in space." The Space Core replied.

Wheatley continued ignoring the Space Core. "I would say… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was bossy…and monstrous. And… I am genuinely sorry."

"I'm in space!" The Space Core said, oblivious to what Wheatley was saying.

"…the end." Wheatley concluded. He resigned himself, facing the fact that he would spend the rest of his life orbiting the Moon, with only the Space Core to keep him company…

Several months passed. Wheatley got to see the dark side of the Moon, and other wonders. But all he wanted was to return to Aperture Science. He knew there was no way he could make it on his own, there wasn't exactly a Management Rail from here to Aperture Science. He wasn't that big of a moron. And then…

"Wait a second…what is THAT?" Wheatley saw a small, purple speck in the distance, growing bigger by the second. Behind it was a pink glow.

"Space? I think that's a part of the space place." The Space Core said, confused.

"No, that purple thing!" Wheatley announced.

"Ba ba, ba ba, ba ba ba! Space." The Space Core said, almost like it was singing.

"Whatever it is, it's not natural. It's headed this way! HEY OVER HERE! It's notice me! Hoorah! Now I can go home!" Wheatley was filled with happiness at the prospect of going home. But then, to his astonishment, he saw the pilots of the small craft. It appeared to be a green boy and a green dog.


	2. Chapter 1: Encounter

These Piggies are for Aperture Science

Chapter 1: Encounter

"Proximity Warning: unknown objects ahead," advised the computer.

Zim glanced at the screen. It displayed data about the "unknown objects". They appeared to be two metal spheres, originating from Earth. Power signatures were found in them, suggesting that they were some kind of probe.

"Computer! Set course to intercept objects!" Zim commanded. The onboard computer beeped in reply.

"Oooh! Wassat?" GIR pressed himself up to the Voot Runner's canopy to get a better view.

"According to this, GIR, it's some kind of probe…thing." Zim replied. GIR gasped as he saw them.

"They're blue and yellow! Just like Mr. and Mrs. Candy! See?" GIR held up two candies, colored yellow and blue. "BYE MR. AND MISSUS CANDY!" Gulp! GIR gobbled them up with a satisfied grin.

"GIR! Stay here. I am going out to capture the probe-things."

"Yes, Master! HOOYAH!" GIR glowed red as he entered Duty Mode.

Zim activated his Air Shield that allowed him to roam out in space. He felt the invisible gel that held the air in glide over his face and form away from his head, creating a pocket of life. He turned on the four rockets in his PAK and flew out.

WHOOSH! He approached the blue probe, and was surprised at what he found.

"Oh , thank goodness! I thought that I would be out here forever! Thank you SO much, mate! This is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I…," the probe rattled on.

Zim was taken aback by its ability to speak. He thought for a moment, and decided to try to find out where it came from. Then he could sabotage the factories that made the probes. The less things monitoring space, the better.

"Excuse me, do you have a name, or designation of some sort?"

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! Where are my manners? My name is Wheatley. Now, if you don't mind me asking, who are you?" the probe asked.

"Wheatley" was an interesting name for a probe. Zim started to move toward the yellow probe. "I am Zim, a perfectly normal human." Zim reached for the yellow probe-

"Um, that one's…not…good. I wouldn't take that one. It's a bloody waste of time. All he does is say 'I'm in space, I'm in space.' Blimey, he hasn't even told me his name. And he seems happiest here, so…" Wheatley trailed off.

"Huh? Okay… GIR! Come to Zim!" Zim commanded.

Moments later, the Voot Runner was in front of him and they entered the cockpit.

"Oooh! Is this what NASA has been launching in secret or something? Or was it made by a private company?"

"No, um this is normal, you know. The reason why many people don't visit the Moon these days is… um… Taxes! Yes, taxes. How horrible those taxes are! Anyway, where did you come from? I can drop you off and stuff."

"Well, let me see… Michigan… where is Michigan…. I know it's next to a giant green patch of land… um, where are all of the names? Or the lines, what happened to them? I don't see any dots for towns. Well, maybe… hmmmm… there should be a purple country around here SOMEwhere… Do you see it? 'Cause I don't. And where is the flippin' compass rose? Man, that world atlas we had down there is full of crap."

Zim sighed. "You mean this atlas?" He pulled up a holographic display of a world map.

"OH! That helps a lot! Thanks mate!"

After Wheatley found his home on the map, Zim programmed the co-ordinates into the computer and set off.

Meanwhile, deep underground in upper Michigan, located below a wheat field was a facility dedicated to experimental science, filled to the brim with advanced equipment and test chambers. In one of those chambers, two robots were solving a test with guns that shot holes in quantum space.

"Atlas, I need you to launch me to that pile of cubes over there." P-body; a slim, white and orange robot; gestured to a pile of cubes on the other side of a wide, bottomless chasm.

Atlas was a slightly larger, burlier robot, who was colored white and blue. "Okay!" He grabbed P-body and threw her across the chasm.

"AAAA-" WHAM! P-body sailed through the air and smashed into the cubes. "Ow, that's not what I had in mind…"

A few moments later, Atlas and P-body were exiting the chamber, having successfully completed the test.

The intercom beeped as the main supercomputer, GLaDOS, congratulated them.

"Great job, Blue and Orange! Take a breather while I make the next test. Wait…"

Atlas and P-body looked at the intercom, puzzled.

"I'm sorry, testing will have to wait. It appears that there is a small craft headed toward the facility at approximately 500 miles an hour. It doesn't register as any known aircraft. This could be big…"


	3. Chapter 2: Revelation

These Piggies are for Aperture Science

Chapter 2: Revelation

Zim touched down on the wheat field.

"Are you sure this is the place?" he asked.

Wheatley did a sort of nod. "Yes, this is it."

Zim got out of the Voot Cruiser and hopped down onto the soft ground. He grabbed Wheatley and headed for the metal shack in the center of the field.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeee-AUGH!" GIR rolled in the wheat before hitting the corrugated metal door of the shack. Zim just rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. It opened, and was astonished at what he saw.

The inside of the shack had solid concrete walls; a high security, heavy-duty door mechanism not unlike the ones found in restricted Irken laboratories; and a high-tech elevator.

"GIR! Get in here!" Zim commanded, and the three of them stepped onto the elevator. The doors closed, and, with the sound of rushing air, they plunged into the Earth.

Only a couple of minutes later, they arrived in a circular chamber with a giant robot hanging from the ceiling in the center. A circular logo was emblazoned on the floor directly beneath the robot. Zim stepped off of the elevator, and GIR followed. The robot glanced at him with what he could only assume was an eye. It turned to Wheatley, and then it spoke in a surprisingly female voice.

"Well, here we are again. Are you here to try to kill me for the second time?" The robot inquired, with a hint of hostility.

"Oh, no no no no nooooo! If anything, you should be killing me. I'm… very sorry, GLaDOS." Wheatley looked down at the floor, looking very regretful.

Zim noted the name of the robot, "GLaDOS". He remembered seeing things labeled with that on the way down to the chamber. Perhaps it was a part of her…

"Hmm. So what's with the alien, then?" GLaDOS leaned in closer to Wheatley, still being held by Zim.

"HE'S WHAT?" Wheatley had his iris-shutters open all the way, in shock.

Zim felt his squeedly-spooch skip a beat. He feared that she somehow was associated with the Dib-stink.

Zim's eyes raced across the room, looking for possible exits. The elevator had already left, and he didn't see any other ways to escape. He decided to make one with his laser cutter if she attempted to capture him somehow.

"Obviously he is an alien. He has green skin, no ears, and quite frankly, strange clothes. Plus, that… whatever that is next to him has a poor excuse for a disguise. Everyone with a brain knows that there are no GREEN dogs." GLaDOS turned to face Zim. "I'm sorry if I'm confusing you. He and I… let's just say that he's one of the LAST people I wanted to see."

"I said that I was bloody sorry!" Wheatley cried out. GLaDOS ignored him.

"Wait, do you speak English? Can you understand me? Because I speak 42 lang-" GLaDOS was suddenly cut off by Zim.

"No, I speak "English". And I assure you, I am a perfectly normal human wormbaby. Not an alien at all." Zim said.

"You are an alien. I just know it. And according to protocol, I now have to run you through the testing track. We really need data on how aliens differ from humans during testing, especially ones that aren't from Black Mesa or an alternate dimension." As GLaDOS said this, slim, white robots with a single, red eye were lowered into the chamber by mechanical arms. Their legs were more of just prongs in a tripod formation. Their eyes used low-power lasers to show where they were looking. Zim dropped Wheatley.

"OW! …that hurt." Wheatley was rolling on the ground a little, but GLaDOS paid him no heed. Meanwhile, Zim tore off his disguise, unwilling to have to run with an itchy wig on.

"I would not advise trying to escape. Not only are all exits guarded, but they are closed off. I have turrets surrounding you, and there is nowhere to hide." GLaDOS observed Zim, watching his every move. However, what came next was something she could never have predicted.

Zim activated his laser cutters and blasted a neat hole in the wall nearest him. He noticed that there was no floor beyond that point, so he hopped onto GIR. "Let's get out of her-AAAAAA!" With a flash, GIR ignited his boot jets and flew off.

"Oh, brilliant, NOW look what you did!" Wheatley said.

"You and I both know that we haven't encountered his species before. Besides, could you have done any better? I should mention that you were designed to be a moron."

"I'M NOT A- ugh, I give up."

Zim dashed into the room, out of breath. GIR followed.

"WOO! Let's do that again!" GIR was happily ignorant of the fact that they were pursued by robots for the past two hours and nearly got captured on a number of occasions. Strangely enough, he had still retained his dog disguise.

_Hopefully we can rest for a while in here. I can't keep this up forever. I can't believe that the Dib-monkey isn't involved with this. _Zim thought to himself.

He found a switchbox, so he turned the lights on. The room was full of strange equipment, and partially-assembled parts were laying around all over the place. Out of curiosity, Zim walked up to one of the tables, picked up an odd-looking device, and did a double-take.

His eyes were not lying. Adorned on the appliance was an Irken Symbol. He put it down, musing over this new revelation, when it clicked.

On one table was the Doom Cannon. On another, a control panel. Bits and pieces were scattered all over the room, if he put them together in his mind… he got something much more than that…The Megadoomer.

GLaDOS was frustrated. She could not seem to find the extra-terrestrial at all. It was as if he vanished into thin air, but he did leave one indicator of his presence. Its location of origin was unknown, but it was a faint echo that was abnormal for that sector of the facility. She amplified and enhanced the sound, and listened.

It was triumphant laughter.


	4. Chapter 3: Back to the Future

These Piggies are for Aperture Science

Chapter 3: "Back to the Future"

"Ms. Chell, you have an incoming video call."

Chell turned to her intercom, and found herself sighing happily. After her ordeal at Aperture Science, she was found by a Social Security worker and was provided proper necessities. She underwent massive physical and psychological therapy, and was able to regain her voice and forget her scars. She wasn't uneducated, however, and soon she found herself the director of the Concepts & Design department of her workplace. All the while, she had enjoyed every second of being free.

"Who is it from?" Chell inquired. On the other end of the intercom, she could hear the click of computer keys, and then her secretary responded.

"It's from a… Ms. Caroline."

"Put her on." Chell did not know who "Ms. Caroline" might be, but yet again, new clients were popping up all of the time. But what came up on the screen was beyond anything she could have expected…

A facility, empty save for a couple of robots and a lone human. A gun. A gun that could make two holes in quantum space, enlarge them and link them… Betrayal. Attempted holocaust. Bullets were fired, but the human managed to out-wit and shut down the robots designed to kill anything that moved. Further, deeper into the facility… A chamber, with monitors displaying flashing images and a murderous being…. Neurotoxin. The human redirected the rockets fired at her and back at the malicious AI –controlled supercomputer that fired them… A giant portal, a flash of light… darkness.

Chell snapped back into the present, heart pounding, resonating in her ears, her breathing quick and shallow.

She couldn't believe it, but it had to be true. Nobody could have achieved that great of detail. No computer, no image-editing program. It was real, and she did not doubt that fact.

Displayed on the screen was the cause of her emotional wounds, her nightmares; but most importantly, her triumph. For on that screen was an entity that used to be human long ago… before they converted her into a complex algorithm stored in the databanks of a robotic shell. And that entity's name… was GLaDOS.

Chell was the first to speak.

"What do you want from me?" She was shocked, and knew that the only reason why GLaDOS would call her is to ask her a favor… or take something from her.

"It's nice to see you too." GLaDOS responded, with underlying sarcasm. "You didn't think I would keep tabs on you? I do have a conscience, after all… By the way, congratulations. You have come a long way from being a test subject."

Chell was caught off guard by how GLaDOS actually seemed to care for her. "I-I… uh, well thanks. Working for Valve has been the best thing that ever happened in my life so far."

"Well, I know that you are wondering why I called you. Don't look surprised. It's as plain as the expression on your face. Anyway, let's get to the point.

Onscreen appeared an image of a humanoid creature with green skin, red eyes, antennae instead of hair, and a strange uniform.

"An alien touched down in the wheat field last week and entered the facility. I took him to my chamber. You will not believe what the little alien was carrying."

The monitor was separated into two sections, one section displayed the picture of the alien, and the other was riddled with static. All of a sudden, someone very familiar to Chell appeared.

It was Wheatley.

"Hey! Hey! It's me! Okay, look. I know how you must be feeling. First GLaDOS gives you a ring, now there's talk of aliens, and now me. Wait! Don't say anything yet! Please, just hear me out." Wheatley was now looking as apologetic as a robot could. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I regret what I did, with the betrayal and attempted killing and all, and I wish I could take it all back."

Chell was now in a maelstrom of emotions. First, fury at the sight of Wheatley, the robot who manipulated her so that he could be the head of the facility, and then she also felt compassion and forgiveness after hearing the sincerity of his apology.

"I forgive you." Chell responded.

"…Really? Wow… if I could cry, I most certainly would be doing that right now. Thank you."

Then GLaDOS cut in. "Okay, I know you two needed some closure, but we need to move on. Besides, I've had enough sentimentality for today…"

"Okay! Bye! See you late-" GLaDOS cut the connection before he could finish his sentence.

"Moving on…" The image of the alien faded away, and a schematic of the facility appeared in its place. "I assume that the alien had found Wheatley and used him to locate the facility. After he entered, I attempted to capture him for testing, as protocol required me to do so. However, he blasted a hole in the wall and escaped, along with the little robot he came with."

Chell was confused. Was GLaDOS referring to Wheatley?

"No, not Wheatley. And stop looking like I just read your mind! I picked up a few things after having been observing you for years, you know. I can read you like a book." The schematic was then zoomed in to one particular section of the facility.

"I have tracked him down to this sector. It was made as a reverse-engineering department, after a government contract granted us the permissions and funding to examine potent alien technology. Sadly, the only thing we received were fragments of a battle mech that had exploded in Pennsylvania, and then the budget was slashed before we could get any real research done. What worries me is that scans indicated high-power particle weapons were a part of this battle mech. Logically, if he re-assembles this mech, he could have the power to destroy the world… and, more importantly, my facility."

Chell was fascinated by this, but still was puzzled.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" she inquired.

"I already have dispatched the Co-Operative Testing Robots, Atlas and P-body, for this job, but all attempts at capturing the alien have failed. I am at my wit's end. Besides, if he successfully rebuilds that battle mech, you won't have any world left to live in. I figure that you would understand. Besides, it's not as if you have any choice in the matter."

Alarm bells went off in Chell's head.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure that you and I both know that the portal gun is capable of a range of at least a quarter of a million miles. And as to who's coming to get you… "

Suddenly, she heard the window behind her slide open. She turned around and saw a tall, white robot with a purple Personality Core for a head begin to climb into the room through the window.

"Thank you for assuming the Party Escort Submission Position." The robot said, as it pulled the trigger on its Portal Gun.


	5. Chapter 4: Potential

These Piggies are for Aperture Science

Chapter 4

Zim was close, and he knew it. Whatever components he couldn't find in the remains of the Megadoomer, he simply synthesized using the spare parts and equipment scattered in the surrounding chambers. He even fixed the "Megadoomer's invisible but not the pilot" glitch. All he needed now was a power source.

He knew that he couldn't rely on human power grids anymore. The last time he tried that had surely proven that the most advanced nuclear reactors they had to offer would only be enough to power the scrawniest weapon aboard the Megadoomer. However, he knew that some of the experiments ran in the facility he was in required massive energy, and that it _had _to be portable. So he searched. Hours passed, and then he struck gold.

The door was labeled, "MINATURE BLACK HOLE STORAGE HOLD- NO EXPLOSIONS WITHIN 50 METERS".

Zim grinned, and a laugh began to form deep down, slowly rising, then he burst into maniacal laughter, not that of humor, but of triumph and dominion.

Chell hit the cold floor still in shock. Never in a million years would she have thought that she would return here.

"In case you're wondering, yes, this is in fact reality, and no, you are not hallucinating." GLaDOS reminded Chell bluntly. "I have already prepared an Aperture Science Handheld Dual Portal Device and a pair of Long Fall Boots for your use, as well as a jumpsuit for you to change into. I figured that you wouldn't want to aid science in business wear."

Chell stood up, and assessed her situation. The portal she had arrived through was gone, and ahead was a chamber with equipment in it and a printed note saying, "You may need these."

After changing, she suddenly remembered a question that had haunted her for years.

"How the heck do these things work, anyhow?" Chell inquired, not even bothering to address GLaDOS.

"I'll put it in terms that you can understand, since the full version wouldn't do anything other than drive you insane or put you to sleep." GLaDOS replied.

Chell gave the camera that GLaDOS was using to monitor her a funny look.

"Trust me, we've tested that statement. Anyway, it's actually quite simple. Inside that gun is a miniature black hole that generates huge amounts of power. That power is then directed out of the barrel of the gun at a specific point in space. The energy is enough to rip space itself, and then it will automatically link it to another nearby portal or another portal fired by the same gun. I could go on and on about the specifics of this, such as why portals form on walls and all of that, but we really don't have time for that, and honestly, I don't think you would care anyway…"

Chell suddenly felt eased, like when a particularly annoying itch is suddenly relieved. GLaDOS then continued,

"Now, as for the alien, I will guide you to the sector he last was detected in. I can only help you so far though, and after that it's all up to you."

A door opened, and Chell stepped through it and into an elevator.

"Just remember, if you fail, the world will go up in flames!" GLaDOS ended, with a note of cheer.


	6. Chapter 5: Technical Difficulties

These Piggies Are For Aperture Science

Chapter 4

"Technical Difficulties"

Binoculars for scanning the area. Camera to record evidence. Notebook and Pencil for notes on findings. Communicator in case something goes wrong. Invisibility cloaking suit to-

"Ah, there you are, son! Are you going to your foreign friend's house again?" Professor Membrane entered the room, interrupting Dib's train of thought.

"Well, sort of." Dib had given up trying to convince his dad that Zim was an alien. He started to slip into the suit when his dad spoke again.

"You know, I had forgotten something until now that I wanted to tell you about." He said. Dib looked up at his dad.

"Yes?" Dib hoped it wasn't another thing about "REAL science". As if paranormal investigation wasn't real enough.

"I wanted to tell you about that invisibility cloaking suit you're so fond of. You see, I made that when I was not much older than you!" Professor Membrane got down on one knee so he could speak to his son eye-to-eye.

"Wow, really?" Dib stopped zipping the suit up and turned to listen.

"Yes, I had already graduated, and was working at a laboratory which did experimental research. I think it was Capture Labs or something of the sort. I just thought that you might find that interesting." Professor Membrane turned and exited the room.

Dib slammed the front door, frustrated. His mission turned out miserably. No one was home except those Robo-Parents, who just shoved him right back out of Zim's house. And that was before he was nearly buried alive beneath two tons of hamburgers. Just to add insult to injury, he was zapped by one of those gnomes while trying to escape the front yard.

He headed for the living room, hoping to catch an episode of Mysterious Mysteries, but found his father fiddling with the TV. He hoped it wasn't another attempt to make a "Super TV". The last time that his dad tried that… he shuddered, and shook it out of his mind.

"A-HA!" Professor Membrane pulled himself out of the tangle of wires and metal contraptions, and plugged in what appeared to be a satellite dish. Dib heard the strange device flare to life.

"Dad? What is… that?" Dib asked, pointing at the dish.

"Oh, hello again, son! I didn't notice you come in. Did you have a good time at your foreign friend's house?" Professor Membrane paused what he was doing so he could speak to his son.

"It was okay, I guess. Hey, what are you working on?" Dib inquired. Professor Membrane's eyes lit up at Dib's question. His son, up until now, had not even expressed one bit of interest toward "real science".

"Well, you see here, I have made… a special satellite dish that will be able to connect to almost any satellite in orbit around the earth from your couch! I made it because I realized that I hadn't talked to one of my old coworkers, Mr. Rattman, in a while, and, well, I only knew one way to get to him."

"Why would you need a special satellite dish for that?" Dib looked puzzled.

"Well, the laboratory that I mentioned I worked at earlier is somewhat secret, and the only communication line is through the Lanthanum Observation Satellite. Hopefully it still works…" Professor Membrane turned to what appeared to be a control console for the device. He pressed a few buttons, and then the TV flared to life with strings of code.

"EUREKA! The satellite still works! Now I just have to- oh dear. They installed a login. Hmm…" Professor Membrane puzzled over this.

"Dad, I can bypass it if you want…" Dib suggested. He was unsure his father wanted help, but he knew how to get around this sort of thing and didn't want the TV taken up all day.

"Sure, go ahead. Why not?" Membrane scooted to the side to let his son use the controls.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Dib started to hack the system. The screen read:

Accessing Satellite Lanthanum...

Connection created.

Satellite OS 1.8.1 © Aperture Labs

Welcome! Please enter your credentials.

Login:

Dib was unsure what to do for this, so he decided to override it. He could always apologize later.

Login:

remoteaccess: /passwordbypass

Password:

Override – deny process ("sysop_check")

The computer loaded for a little bit, and then the screen displayed:

Welcome, Aperture Science employee!

Dib breathed a sigh of relief. He started a video call, and stepped aside to let his father take over.

However, when the call went through, it wasn't a scientist in a lab coat, a receptionist with a microphone headset, or an executive employee that answered. It was some sort of robot that hung from the ceiling.

"Hello, and thank you for calling the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center. Unfortunately, all staff except for me are… occupied at the moment. May I ask who is calling?" the robot said with a mechanized, but still humanlike, voice. It's voice was clearly female.

"Hello! I am Professor Membrane, as you may or may not know, and this is my son, Dib." Professor Membrane gestured toward Dib, and then continued. "I wanted to see if I could call Mr. Rattman. Tell him an old friend is calling."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry; he perished in an unfortunate incident involving deadly neurotoxin. I-" The robot was cut off by a sudden explosion. The camera rocked, and the robot swiveled on its ceiling-mount. "What is going on back there? I thought I told you to keep him away from- No! Not that! Just-"

The screen suddenly filled with the Aperture Laboratories logo, with the message "We are experiencing Technical Difficulties".

Professor Membrane was shocked at the news of the death of his friend. However, Dib's shock was greater, but not because of Mr. Rattman's fate.

It was because he heard Zim's insane cackle when the explosion went off.


	7. Chapter 6: Forwarding the Cause of Evil

These Piggies are for Aperture Science

Chapter 6: "Forwarding the Cause of Evil"

Chell fell, and then felt the familiar feeling of suddenly rotating in midair. Gravity shifted, pulling her down to the hard, metallic, cool floor. She picked herself up and found herself in a glass box in a room. She knew where this was. It was the start of an Aperture Science Testing Track.

The portal closed behind her. She knew there was no way back to her office now, so she looked for any useful equipment. In the glass box she was now confined to was a bed, albeit a bed with a glass covering so that it doubled as a cryogenic stasis unit; a table with a clipboard and a radio, and a toilet.

"Hello once again, [SUBJECT NUMBER HERE]. Or would you rather I refer to you by your real name, Chell?" GLaDOS came on the intercom.

"Spare me the pleasantries, GLaDOS, and tell me why I'm here." Chell looked around for the surveillance camera that GLaDOS would be using to monitor her. She located it near the exit of the chamber. To say that Chell looked annoyed would be a drastic understatement.

"I thought I already told you that. Here, I'll just tell you again-" GLaDOS' voice was suddenly replaced with the sound of speech being run through a tape cassette deck in "rewind". Then, it stopped briefly, then the sound of speech sped up three times its normal speed filled the chamber.

"…There. If you ever want to know what you are doing, just go back and remember it 3 times slower than normal." GLaDOS said, taunting Chell with her superior abilities. "The portal will open in three, two, one-"

As soon as the countdown finished, the portal opened up on the wall. Only this time, it lead to another part of the chamber, rather than Chell's office at Valve. Chell stepped through the portal, and found that instead of the normal area with cubes and buttons, there was a changing stall, an orange jumpsuit, a pair of Long Fall Boots, and the easily recognizable Dual Portal Device.

"Please change into the jumpsuit, and put on your equipment. You'll need it. I would let you run around and get sweaty in your own clothes, but I figure that the Emancipation Grills would most likely emancipate them. They are programmed only to let through jumpsuits and lab wear, you know… Feel free to let me know if your jumpsuit does not fit, in the event that you have gotten… larger… than you already are. Anyway, just hurry, I haven't got the entire supply of adrenal vapor in the world, you know." GLaDOS ended, and then the security cameras shut down out of courtesy for Chell's privacy.

Chell sighed, and stepped into the changing stall.

Zim looked over the blueprints another time, making minute adjustments to the circuit board he was reconfiguring. He occasionally rewired things with his soldering iron, before finally looking at it in satisfaction. Zim then called for GIR.

"Yes, my lord!" was GIR's reply, as he was currently in Duty Mode.

"I have completed the last adjustments to the Distortion Cloaking Device, GIR. Do you know what that means?" Zim asked while holding the circuit board.

"It makes WAFFLES now?" GIR reverted back to his normal, teal colors.

"It means that it now is fully operational, GIR, and anything inside or connected to the new Megadoomer will be invisible." Zim replied, ignoring GIR's statement.

"…and it makes waffles?" GIR asked, hoping that his original statement was correct.

"Don't be silly! The onboard toaster will do that!" Zim responded.

"YAAAY! WAFFLES!" GIR cheered. He then proceeded to dance randomly.

Zim walked over to the half assembled mishmash of machinery that he called the "Megadoomer 2". He opened up a panel in the back and plugged in the circuit board.

"DISTORTION CLOAKING DEVICE ACCEPTED." The onboard computer stated.

Zim then turned back to the tables of parts he had been tinkering with.

"Now, time for the new weapons systems…" Zim said, pulling on his welder's mask and welding torch.

GLaDOS was, to say the least, frustrated. She searched the facility sector by sector. She deployed any kind of robot that had mobility to search the chambers and office rooms. And yet, still no sign of the elusive alien. He seemed to move on from a sector right before she could trap him there.

"The co-operative testing robots have completed their objective. What would the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System like to do?" The Automated Announcer System asked.

Ah, yes. She exited out of the multiple cameras she was peering through, and then turned to a screen displaying the readouts of the co-op robot's mission statistics. She skipped to the end, where it displayed a few options:

REMOTE-DISASSEMBLE ROBOTS? Y/N

DOWNLOAD RETRIEVED SCHEMATIC? Y/N

CONTINUE TESTING? Y/N

"Yes, yes, and, as always, yes" GLaDOS told the system. The screen beeped in reply, and then retracted behind a wall of pistons and panels.

GLaDOS took a look at the new schematics that were retrieved by the co-op robots. She found the vital section containing the area and security codes, and transferred them to a control console that was exclusively for her chamber.

"Please confirm: Do you want to power on sector 42-Lambda?" the Announcer inquired.

"Affirmative." GLaDOS said, and then mentally took a step back to review her scheme. She knew it was perfectly possible that there were other, hidden or missing sectors that she was unaware of, and that the alien could be hiding in there. She also knew that there were many inventions that were hidden after the vitrification order of the old Aperture Enrichment spheres. So she decided to seek out blueprints that were taken off of the system in order to get any advantage that she could. She would send power out to any shut down sector in hopes that there would be something that could break the stalemate. Hopefully there was something more than just failed experiments and ruins of potential inventions.

He felt himself returning from a long slumber. The long silence that he had experienced for many decades was finally broken with the sound of snapping electric sparks, the roar of gel pumps, and the hum of pure electric power. Lights flared to life, piercing the darkness that had enveloped him for those long years. He awakened, and felt like a human waking from an extensive, dreamless sleep. He activated his optic, and the blue light that had been missing from his "eye" returned once more.

He picked himself up, and started to work out the kinks in his rusty joints. He was surprised to find that his servos were still intact, and that his mental capacity had not decreased in the slightest.

His mind was still a fog of memories, but the flood of sensations that he now experienced was put aside with the formulation of one thought that dominated his attention:

_It's time to take my facility back._


End file.
